Spiderman Musings
by A Phoenix Rising
Summary: K for mention of the word killing first ficlet in this genre be kind and review.... Harry Osborn reflects on troubles.... very short and in my opinion well written so definitely worth your time :D NEW UPDATED consolidated with peter's and added Mary Jane'
1. Harry's Musings

**Hi there, this is my first post in this genre, and it is a short one at that, I have previously only written Tamora Pierce fiction, but I was watching Spiderman 2 the other day, (a Christmas present) and the idea struck me like a hammer and I simply had to write it. Be merciful and review, please. They don't have to be good reviews, any and all reviews are welcome.**

Harry stepped out onto the balcony of his New York mansion, inhaling the cool, crisp air of evening in New York City. He tried to clear his mind, but failed. All he could think of was Spiderman.

It all started with Peter, and the love/hate relationship he had with him. Peter was all he had left, his only real friend. And yet… his own father had loved Peter better. Worse, Peter's loyalty to this Spiderman wraith drove him insane.

Spiderman, the murderer who slew his father, the darling of New York, the one who possessed all the glory and adoration that he could never hope to attain, was a shadow Harry could only dream of catching. Elusive as this Spiderman was, Harry had devoted massive amounts of time and energy in the pursuit of his masked obsession, and was determined not to give up until Spiderman was dead.

For a fleeting second, Harry wondered if it was the pain of losing a father who had never truly loved him, who had loved his friend better, or the anguish of Peter's loyalty to his greatest nemesis that bothered him more. All he knew was that no one cared about him, and so he would exact vengeance upon this unfair world by killing the one person everyone knew and idolized: Spiderman.

A distant metallic clanging was drawing nearer. Harry took a deep breath, and mentally renewed his vow of vengeance upon the one who had stolen his fame, his father, and his and friend, Spiderman.


	2. Peter

**Having gotten 2 whole reviews on my first one, I decided to write another ficlet. If I wasn't so lazy, I would consolidate the two but that would mean figuring out how to change the name of a story. So here it is, part two of musings, enjoy, and for the love of God and or anything else, please please review.**

Peter looked around his rundown and decaying apartment, and reflected on the dilemma facing him: Spiderman. His alter ego, his secret identity, simultaneously the bane of his existence and his greatest pride. Spiderman, the dichotomy that both crippled and freed him.

He wondered why he couldn't give it up. Why he couldn't leave the world to its own troubles. Why he couldn't live a normal life, couldn't hold a job, have a girlfriend, have friends, keep his grades up, and, above all, mind his own business.

Maybe it was because of the way he was raised. Although he had always lived in poverty, he had been taught the importance of right and wrong and the responsibility of the individual to the society to which they belonged. He _owed_ it to the people of New York to use his powers for the betterment of city life.

More specifically, maybe it was because of Mary Jane. She _needed_ someone to save her. If it weren't for Spiderman, Mary Jane would be dead three times over. Also, how could Peter Parker be of use to someone like her? She was always with someone else, and he never could work up the courage to say more than a few awkward, stumbling words to her as himself. But with his mask, as Spiderman, he was loved not only by her, but by the rest of the city.

Which led to another reason. As Peter Parker, he lived in obscurity, a science nerd unnoticed by everyone, just another stone in the river. As Spiderman, he was revered by children and adults alike, he was written about in the papers, he had power. There is a secret part of everyone, sometimes not-so-secret part, that loves the rush of showing off, that relishes in performing the extraordinary, in being different. The feats of Spiderman were unrepeatable by anyone else, and that let Peter be special in a way nothing else could give him.

As many reasons as there were for him to maintain his superhero identity, there were just as many to discontinue it. His strength was failing, for he hardly slept. He couldn't pay his bills, for he was always late and could not keep a job. Spiderman was driving a wedge between Peter and his best friend, Harry, who had vowed vengeance upon his other personality. There was no time for homework, for someone always needed saving, criminals always needed stopping, and so, Peter Parker, genius extraordinaire, was not passing a single class.

Lastly, there was the dilemma with Mary Jane. Spiderman made it impossible to maintain any relationship with her, and he always came off looking like a flake because he could never resist the call of duty. Spiderman made Peter and Mary Jane keep just missing each other, and, moreover, kept Peter from having a truly open and honest relationship with her or anyone else.

Life was never easy, but since that high school field trip, things had just gotten harder. But there was no more time to think about that. He had homework to do, and another job to find. His spider sense was tingling, but he would ignore it, for now. Spiderman might be back one day, but not just yet. He had to pick up the fragments of the life Spiderman had shattered before he could do anything else.


	3. Mary Jane's Musings

**Warning: this is much more fluffy than the other two, partially due to my belief that Mary Jane does not have the capacity for abstract thought, so to speak. But she is a main character, and I do believe this piece turned out deliciously angsty and fluffy so enjoy it or don't, but please review.**

Mary Jane lay back on her bed, alone in her downtown apartment, taking a moment's pause to just reflect.

Something was missing from her life. She had a great job, she had friends, she had rich and influential boyfriend, yet still she felt empty. Looking back through all her various relationships, she realized the emptiness had always been there, although she had only noticed it recently.

If it has always been there, she thought, maybe it is supposed to be there. After all, no one she had ever known had been truly happy in their love lives. Her parents had had drunken and violent altercations their entire married lives. Harry, one of her closest friends and one-time boyfriend, was the child of a messy and hateful divorce. She thought about the play that she was in, and how the characters in it were all idle, meaningless chatter, frilly clothes, and tea-sipping. Their lives must have been as empty as hers.

Love had never been really exciting. In a way, she had been lucky, because all the important people seemed to naturally gravitate towards her. First it was Flash, the prom king who owned a convertible. Then Harry, the son of a CEO. Now it was John Jameson Jr., astronaut and son of a media mogul. There had been a time when she fancied herself in love with Spiderman, and it was thrilling and exciting, but her affections were never really returned and she eventually wrote that off as girlish infatuation.

Upon thinking about it, she realized there was one person she did feel complete with. It was Peter. She quickly dismissed this thought. Peter had nothing to offer. He was poor, he didn't talk much, and he was a flake. He couldn't even spare a little bit of time from such an obviously "busy" schedule to come see her play. Although she valued him as a friend for his unwavering support through the years, he couldn't seem to actually commit to her, even if he did appear to worship her in his timid, shy, and hopelessly nerdish way.

Still, there was something about Peter she couldn't quite figure out. He was almost mysterious, here one moment and gone the next, and his conversation was often quite cryptic. He was always disappearing, running off to do something that was obviously very important to him, but that the rest of the world could not figure out. And the injuries he came back with, though they healed quickly and never scarred, were never adequately explained. Peter was a tough nut to crack, and this made him "elusive," which se deemed must be the reason she was drawn to him.

Whether or not she did care for Peter in that way, she still had her own future to think of. She had a good boyfriend, a sweet, loving person with power, influence, and wealth, someone who might not make her happy but would never make her unhappy.

Forcing herself to be satisfied with this conclusion to her mental ramblings, she turned off her light and lay there in the dark for a little while, trying to get Peter's face out of her head. Why did life have to be so difficult? She needed someone there to hold her, but no one was there. She was all alone in the dark. Her heart aching from the emptiness and loneliness within, she rolled over onto her pillow and cried herself to sleep.


End file.
